Data Voids: Where Missing Data Can Easily Be Exploited

Michael Golebiewski, danah boyd

Search plays a unique role in modern online information systems.

Unlike with social media, where users primarily consume algorithmically curated feeds of information, the typical approach to a search engine begins with a query or question in an effort to seek new information.

However, not all search queries are equal. There are many search terms for which the available relevant data is limited, non-existent, or deeply problematic.

We call these “data voids.”

Data Voids: Where Missing Data Can Easily Be Exploited explores different types of data voids; the challenges that search engines face when they encounter queries over spaces where data voids exist; and the ways data voids can be exploited by those with ideological, economic, or political agendas.